In the last couple days Eastern alum, Sean Payton, went from Dallas Cowboys assistant head coach/quarterback coach to allegedly being offered the head coach position of the Oakland Raiders back to being the assistant head coach/quarterback coach of the Cowboys.

Let’s iron all this out and put it to rest once and for all.

In order to get to the bottom of all this I feel it necessary to give a quick overview of the last two days.

Tuesday

According to The Dallas Morning News and ESPN, Dallas Cowboys assistant head coach Sean Payton has agreed in principle to become the head coach of the Oakland Raiders Tuesday.

Payton is expected to sign a four-year deal worth between $1.3 to $1.5 million a year.

The Raiders are not confirming the hire but have scheduled a press conference Thursday where it’s expected they will name its head coach.

It seemed as though Payton was set to become the youngest head coach in the NFL. However football is a game of inches and I guess that applies even to the hiring of new coaches. For the Oakland head coaching job was inches from Payton’s grasp when it all fell apart.

Wednesday

Sources have confirmed Payton has declined the job offer from the Raiders and will return to his position with the Dallas Cowboys as assistant head coach/quarterback coach along with a contract extension and a pay raise.

“I don’t know where this got started,” Davis said in a press conference Wednesday. “There will be a time period before a coach will be hired.”

The Raiders’ public relations department confirmed no press conference is scheduled for Thursday.

Today’s news on the Payton situation may come as a surprise.

Sources have confirmed Davis did offer Payton the reported four-year $1.3 to $1.5 million deal.

The deal was offered but then un-offered for what reason you ask?

The same source who confirmed the deal was offered also stated the reason the deal was not accepted by Payton. The reason was Payton and Davis didn’t see eye to eye on some personnel issues.

The source said Payton wanted to begin the rebuilding process of the Raiders after their dismal 4-12 2003 season which included blowing up the current team.

This means Payton wanted to get rid of older guys like Jerry Rice, Tim Brown and Rich Gannon in favor of younger players.

This is where Al Davis and Payton weren’t quite on the same wave length. Al Davis, for reasons unknown, thought maybe Payton would come into the Raiders, not change a thing, and go into the 2004 season with the same OLD team.

I want to stress the word OLD. Jerry Rice is an ageless wonder and can still play ball, but not at the level he once could. I honestly think he isn’t one of the top ten best receivers in the NFL right now. He might not even be top 20, and it’s sad.

Payton’s thoughts of rebuilding seem logical to me. The Raiders were in the 2002 Super Bowl and were expected to do quite a bit better than 4-12 this past season. It even seems to me the Raiders organization thought rebuilding was inevitable as they fired coach Bill Callahan immediately after the 2003 season.

The fact is Payton wanted to start the rebuilding process and Davis didn’t want to let go of his boys. Now the Raiders still don’t have a head coach, and Payton is back with the Dallas Cowboys. Life goes on except for the Raiders, as the search continues.